Confusion in Green

Chapter 3: 7th years have room-mates


Most everyone ate in silence. Almost everyone was sneaking glances at Harry every few minutes. No one could believe that he was to live in Slytherin. The person who was most upset by this turn of events was, Draco Malfoy. He and Potter had been enemies for as long as he could remember. And he knew that Harry didn’t believe that he had changed. He had lived for so long doing what his father had said. Now that his father and mother were locked away he knew that he had to turn over a new leaf. Voldemort had been killed and Harry had been the one to do it. Draco had always known that in the end Harry would win. He was just waiting for a chance to escape from his father’s clutches. Now he was on his own and he was finally happy. Just as long as Dumbledore didn’t expect him to be nice to scar head.

After all the plates were clean and all the students finally began talking again, Dumbledore rose from his chair. Silence was immediate.
“All students from year six down, are free to go to their dormitories. All Seventh Years please remain in the great hall for further announcements.”
Dumbledore stood patiently waiting for all the lower year students to file from the hall. All 7th years had their eyes focused on Dumbledore. “What now?” Harry thought moodily. “Hasn’t he done enough?”
“After much consideration and complaints from the families of some students,” he said this while staring at the slytherin table. “It has been decided that the 7th years are too old to live in a dormitory with the entire class, therefore the 7th year students will have rooms composed of only two students each. You will now have approximately five minutes to choose a roommate, write the pair of names on a scrap of parchment and drop them into this bowl.” He waved his wand and a large black cauldron appeared before him. “Any student who does not choose a room-mate will be paired by the cauldron of camaraderie. You may begin.
There was a scramble of students and many shouts echoing through the great hall. Students who had been separated from their own house had no idea who to choose as a room mate. Harry along with several others merely sat and waited. When all the commotion had finally calmed down, Dumbledore stood up and waved his wand once more.
“Within the hour the Cauldron will give us a list of room-mates that it has chosen for this term. These assignments will not be changed no matter the circumstances. You can view the list on the door to great hall in one hour’s time. In the meantime, you may use this chance to get to know some of your new friends.”
With a wave of his wand many small tables, each seating only two students, appeared around the great hall. There were games sitting on each one, some had chess sets, some had a deck for exploding snaps, and many other wizarding pastimes that Harry had seen around the castle. As the students rose to go to another table with their friends and hopefully roommates the two house tables vanished. What was Dumbledore playing at? Socialization by force? Just great. Harry wandered over to a table in the corner of the room at which no one was sitting. It seemed to be the only one left. All the other students had split off into pairs or had dragged the tables together to fit more than two.
Draco sidled through the crowded hall, winding his way between all the tables, narrowly missing an explosion from a table of ex-Hufflepuffs. It seemed that all of his fellow Slytherins no longer considered him their leader. He had been abandoned by all those who used to fear him. He paused considering that no one was ever afraid of him. It had always been his father and Voldemort that they had feared. He had been stupid. Now he was alone. The odd one out it seemed. He continued his walk, finally seeing an empty chair near the back corner of the hall. Keeping his eyes on that chair he hurried to get it before anyone else noticed it. He did not recognize the long dark hair of the person sitting opposite the empty chair. With the way he was holding himself, Draco assumed it was a Slytherin. Sliding himself into the chair he quickly slid his infamous smirk into place and assumed the posture of the Slytherin Prince. He had changed. He no longer though he was better than anyone else, he simply went back into his old habits. He thought he may be able to make a new crony out of this odd quiet boy. “Bloody Dumbledore and his stupid ideas.” he spat in his most arrogant tone. “Don’t you agree?”
The boy raised his head slowly and pushed the dark locks out of his face. Draco was stunned. It was bloody Harry Potter himself. Draco had inadvertently sat at the table of his arch nemesis. Well, only one thing to do now. Make it seem like he had known exactly with whom he was sitting. “Well, scar-head, do you agree or not?”
Harry eyed Draco calmly for a moment, then smiled a strange smile and said. “Yes ferret-face I agree. This shocked Draco into another long silence. For the first time in history, Potter had agreed with him. And what was that little smile about? No, not a smile, a smirk! My Smirk! He’s using my own smirk against me. Well we will see who wins this one.

“Time is up students,” Dumbledore said rising slowly to his feet. “You will find the room mate list outside the door. The password for each room will be the first and last initial of both students names, until you see fit to change them. I suggest you do this soon, so you will have your privacy. Have a good term, students, and may it be most memorable. You are dismissed.” He waved his wand with a twinkle in his eye and the doors to the great hall flew open and all the students rushed out holding their breath.